Linearly movable actuator for slide-pivot contact assembly in switch devices

ABSTRACT

A switching device, particularly for use with a vehicle, which is characterized in that a plurality of stationary contacts are selectively connectable with movable contacts which are movable substantially in a vertical direction by means of a single actuating member.

Unite States Patent 1 1 [111 3,735,060

Kawai May 22, 1973 [s41 LINEARLY MOVABLE ACTUATOR 166 BF, 166 BH, 170 A, 67 c, 11 R, 17 R FOR SLIDE-PIVOT CONTACT ASSEMBLY IN SWITCH DEVICES Yoshihiro Kawai, Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Japan Inventor:

Assignee: Kabushiki-Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho, Nishi-Kasugai-gen, Aichi-ken, Japan Filed: Dec. 21, 1971 Appl. No.: 210,368

Foreign Application Priority Data 200/16 C, 16 D, 18, 166B, 166 ED, 166 BE,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,165,604 1/1965 Sorenson ..200/6 R X 3,159,722 12/1964 Cobb et ..200/166 B X 3,286,049 11/1966 Drain 1 ..2 00/l66 Bl-l X 2,802,077 8/1957 Taylor ..200/67 G Primary ExaminerJ. R. Scott Attorney-B. Edward Shlesinger et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A switching device, particularly for use with a vehicle, which is characterized in that a plurality of stationary contacts are selectively connectable with movable contacts which are movable substantially in a vertical direction by means of a single actuating member.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1 LINEARLY MOVABLE ACTUATOR FOR SLIDE-PIVOT CONTACT ASSEMBLY IN SWITCH DEVICES This invention relates to a switching device, more particularly to that for use with a vehicle in connection with the vehicle side indication and turning indication signalling.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a switching device, particularly for use with a vehicle, which is characterized in that a plurality of stationary contacts are selectively connectable with movable contacts which are movable substantially in a vertical direction by means of a single actuating member, the advantage being that the life of the contacts is prolonged by an unique construction in which the contacts are closed and opened by the change of their vertical positions.

In the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment of a switching device made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1 shows a partial plan view partial section of one embodiment of the switching device, the cover and holder or actuator of which are removed,

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the device taken along the line IIII of FIG. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the device taken along the line lIIIll of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 4 shows a part of the device for the purpose of illustrating the operation thereof, and

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the device taken along the line V V in FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

A switching device in accordance with the present invention has, as best shown in FIG. 3, a case body 1 which has therein a chamber 2 extending transversely or laterally of the device as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3, a slot 3 in the upper wall of casing l and extending lengthwise of said chamber 2, and an electrically insulated plate 4 fastened to the bottom of easing 1 so as to close the bottom of said chamber 2 and to support thereon stationary contacts. Said contacts comprise a first group of stationary contacts a, b and c located in plate 4 in a triangular relation in which the contact a is located at the apex of said triangle as shown in FIG. 1, and a second group of stationary contacts e and f located on the insulated plate 4 rearwardly of the contacts b and c and on a line extending longitudinally of the device as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3. These stationary contacts a, b, c, e and f have their contact surfaces within the chamber 2. In the electrically insulated plate 4, there are provided a pair of grooves or holes 5 and 6 which are located outwardly of the first group of contacts a, b and c. A movable contact plate 7, having spaced legs 8 and 9 which are respectively received or supported in the aforementioned grooves 5 or 6, is accommodated within the chamber 2 so as to be swingable over the contacts a, b and c with its pivotal center at the contact a. It is pivoted by the manual operation of a holder 12 which contains movable contacts, the structures of which shall be described in more detail in the below. The stationary contacts e and f are electrically connectable selectively with a stationary contact terminal d, which is mounted on the insulated plate 4 at a position which is substantially a midway between the contacts e and f, by means of a seesaw movable contact plate 11 supported at its midpoint by the terminal d so as to be swingable about said terminal d. The plate has adjacent its ends movable contacts g and h which are connectable either to the stationary contacts e or f, respectively, upon the swinging or seesaw movement of the movable contact plate by the aforementioned holder 12.

Said holder 12 is accommodated within the chamber 2 and is movable lateraly from its neutral position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 to one of its actuated positions to the right or left, by manual operation through a projection 13 which projects outwardly through the slot 3. In the bottom surface of the holder 12 which is opposite to the projection 13, there are two blind holes 14 and 17 which register, respectively, with the center of the triangle formed by the contacts a, b and c, and with the center of the terminal d when the holder is at its neutral position. Pressure floats or pins 16 and 19 respectively are inserted into the holes 14 and 17 so as to be biased outwardly by springs 15 and 18 which are inserted between the floats l6 and 19 and the bottoms of the holes resiliently to urge the lower, rounded ends of the pins, respectively, against the upper surfaces of contact plate 7 and contact plate 11. Said float 16 moves to the broken line position, illustrated at 16' in FIG. 1, when the holder 12 is shifted to the left in FIG. 1, and thus to the left side (FIG. 1) beyond the midpoint X of the line connecting the contacts a and b, and moves in the opposite direction, when the holder is actuated to the right in FIG. 1, to the right side of the midpoint X of the line connecting the contacts a and 0. With the operation of holder 12 to either one of its actuated positions, the other float 19 moves in the corresponding direction towards the movable contact 3 or h on the plate 11.

The switching device having the above construction operates as follows.

When the holder or actuator 12 is at its neutral position as shown in FIG. 3, that is, when the pressure float 16 carried by said holder is located at the center of the triangle formed by the contacts a, b and c, the movable contact plate 7 contacts all three of these contacts, being resiliently pressed thereagainst by said float. Should the contact a be connected to an electric power source of a vehicle, and contacts b and c be respectively connected, for example, to a right-hand side lamp and a left-hand side lamp, and the holder maintained at its neutral position, both the right-hand and left-hand lamps will be put on so as to show the width of vehicle at night, if the electric circuit connecting the contact a and the electric source is closed.

When the holder 12 is actuated to the left in the drawing, the movable contact plate 7 keeps its normal position until the float 16 reaches the point X and goes beyond said point, but when the holder is further actuated to the left, that is, when the float 16 goes beyond the dead point X, the plate 7 is inclined towards the left and takes the position shown by broken lines in FIG. 3, resulting in disconnecting the contact between the contacts a and c. This means that if the contact 0 is connected to a left-hand side lamp, the left-hand side lamp is put off. When the holder is actuated to the right, on the contrary, the contact I) is disconnected from the contact 0.

Along with such movement of the float 16, the other float 19 which is carried also by the holder, causes the seesaw or rocking movement of the contact plate 11. For instance, when the holder is actuated to theleft,

the floats l6 and 19 are also, and moved to the left, the

float 19 causes the inclination of the plate to the left as shown by broken lines in FIG. 5, resulting in contact between the contacts g and e. Should the contacts e and f be respectively connected to a left-hand turning indication-lamp and a right-hand turning indication lamp,

' and the terminal d to the vehicles electrical power source, the above-mentioned movement of plate 11 causes the actuation of the left-hand turning indication lamp, while the left-hand side lamp, which is connected to the contact c, is disconnected by the simultaneous movement of the other float 16 to its position 16 (FIG. 1), whereby the turning indication becomes much clearer. Similarly, when holder 12 is shifted to the right (H6. 1) from its neutral position to disengage plate 7 from the contact b, the switch or blade 11 will swing its contact h into engagement with contact f to energize the right-hand turning indication lamp, while the righthand side lamp is deenergized.

What is claimed is: l. A switching device comprising a casing having therein a chamber closed at its bottom by an electrically insulated plate, an actuating member accommodated within said chamber so as to be reciprocable manually rectilinearly from a neutral position to either one of two actuated positions at opposite sides, respectively, of said neutral position, at least one actuating body carried by the actuating member and resiliently urged towards said insulated plate, at least one group of spaced, stationary contacts mounted on said insulated plate so as to have their contact surfaces project into said chamber, said contacts being located on the insulated plate at the three corners of a triangle, and the contact at theapex of said triangle being connected to an electrical power source, said actuating body when said actuating member is in its neutral position being located above the center of said triangle, and a first movable, electrically conductive plate overlying said stationary contacts and being beneath and in abutting contact with said actuating body to be held resiliently thereby in contact with all three of said stationary contacts when said actuating member is at its neutral position, and

means guiding said plate for pivotal movement in one direction or the other about the contact at the apex of said triangle when the actuatingmember is moved towards either one of its actuated positions from its neutral position, a distance sufficient to cause said actuating body to cross over said center point thereby selectively to disengage said plate from one of the two other contacts, and to make contact with the other of said two contacts.

2. A switching device as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises a second group of stationary contacts mounted on said insulated plate to project into said chamber and located in a line parallel with the direction of movement of the actuating member, said other group including a central terminal connected to an electric source and two stationary contacts located, respectively, at opposite sides of said central terminal and equispaced therefrom,

another actuating body located above said central terminal when the actuating member is at its neutral position, and

a second, movable contact plate supported at its central portion by said central terminal and provided at its outer ends with two additional contacts which are positioned to be selectively connected with said two further stationary contacts upon the movement of said actuating member from its neutral position to one of its actuated positions.

3. A switching device as claimed in claim 2 in which the central contact located at the apex of the triangle of the first group of stationary contacts is connected to the electrical power source,

the other two contacts forming said triangle are respectively connected to left-hand and right-hand side lamps of a vehicle, and

the two stationary contacts of the second group of contacts are respectively connected to left-hand turning indication and right-hand turning indication lamps of the vehicle.

4. A switching device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for guiding said first movable conductive plate in its pivotal movement comprise lugs at the two ends of said first plate and slots in said insulated plate in which said lugs engage, said lugs being disposed outside of and at opposite sides, respectively, of said triangle. 

1. A switching device comprising a casing having therein a chamber closed at its bottom by an electrically insulated plate, an actuating member accommodated within said chamber so as to be reciprocable manually rectilinearly from a neutral position to either one of two actuated positions at opposite sides, respectively, of said neutral position, at least one actuating body carried by the actuating member and resiliently urged towards said insulated plate, at least one group of spaced, stationary contacts mounted on said insulated plate so as to have their contact surfaces project into said chamber, said contacts being located on the insulated plate at the three corners of a triangle, and the contact at the apex of said triangle being connected to an electrical power source, said actuating body when said actuating member is in its neutral position being located above the center of said triangle, and a first movable, electrically conductive plate overlying said stationary contacts and being beneath and in abutting contact with said actuating body to be held resiliently thereby in contact with all three of said stationary contacts when said actuating member is at its neutral position, and means guiding said plate for pivotal movement in one direction or the other about the contact at the apex of said triangle when the actuatingmember is moved towards either one of its actuated positions from its neutral position, a distance sufficient to cause said actuating body to cross over said center point thereby selectively to disengage said plate from one of the two other contacts, and to make contact with the other of said two contacts.
 2. A switching device as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises a second group of stationary contacts mounted on said insulated plate to project into said chamber and located in a line parallel with the direction of movement of the actuating member, said other group including a central terminal connected to an electric source and two stationary contacts located, respectively, at opposite sides of said central terminal and equispaced therefrom, another actuating body located above said central terminal when the actuating member is at its neutral position, and a second, movable contact plate supported at its central portion by said central terminal and provided at its outer ends with two additional contacts which are positioned to be selectively connected with said two further stationary contacts upon the movement of said actuating member from its neutral position to one of its actuated positions.
 3. A switching device as claimed in claim 2 in which the central contact located at the apex of the triangle of the first group of stationary contacts is connected to the electrical power source, the other two contacts forming said triangle are respectively connected to left-hand and right-hand side lamps of a vehicle, and the two stationary contacts of the second group of contacts are respectively connected to left-hand turning indication and right-hand turning indication lamps of the vehicle.
 4. A switching device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for guiding said first movable conductive plate in its pivotal movement comprise lugs at the two ends of said first plate and slots in said insulated plate in which said lugs engage, said lugs being disposed outside of and at opposite sides, respectively, of said triangle. 